A section of the Indian media earlier reported that&nbsp;Pakistan denied airspace to Indian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid and rescue teams to earthquake-hit Turkey.&nbsp;There was no confirmation either from the Indian or the Pakistani side of this development.

CNN-News18 reported that the Indian Air Force's C-17&nbsp;Globemaster&nbsp;had to take a detour because Pakistan denied permission to use its airspace.

However, it emerged that Indian planes didn't fly over Pakistan to reach Ankara. It is believed that the Indian establishment never asked for permission from the Pakistan aviation authorities&nbsp;with regard to sending their military aircraft.

Even during the evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Indian military planes flew from Kabul to Dushanbe and used Iranian airspace to come back to India.

Reacting to the development,&nbsp;Turkish ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, told WION's Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal that he has "no information"&nbsp; on Indian military aircraft not being allowed to fly over Pakistani airspace.

Earlier in the day, India sent two Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft, one of which departed on Monday late at night, while the second batch flew off on early Tuesday.

The first batch of earthquake relief material carried search &amp;and rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), specially trained dog squads, medical supplies, drilling machines and other necessary equipment to help Turkey in the evacuation of civilians.

“First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 <a href="https://twitter.com/NDRFHQ">@NDRFHQ</a>. Search &amp; Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, relief material, medicines and other necessary utilities &amp; equipment reaches Adana, Türkiye. Second plane getting ready for departure,” Jaishankar had on Tuesday morning.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 <a href="https://twitter.com/NDRFHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NDRFHQ</a> Search &amp; Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads,drilling machines, relief material, medicines and other necessary utilities &amp; equipment reaches Adana,Türkiye. 
 
Second plane getting ready for departure. <a href="https://twitter.com/MevlutCavusoglu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MevlutCavusoglu</a> <a href="https://t.co/sSjuRJJrIO">pic.twitter.com/sSjuRJJrIO</a>
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1622829210908884992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Earlier, Turkey's Ambassador to India Firat Sunel thanked New Delhi for sending relief materials and termed India as “dost” (which in English means friend)

““Dost” is a common word in Turkish and Hindi... We have a Turkish proverb: "Dost kara günde belli olur" (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much India."

He also shared an exchange between Indian and Turkish authorities following the deadly earthquakes that rattled the country and its neighbour Syria.

On Monday, India’s junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan paid a visit to Turkey’s embassy in New Delhi to express condolences. He also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sympathy and humanitarian support.

Meanwhile, the total death toll rose to 4,983 as the search and rescue operation to find the survivors was underway.

According to local media reports, Turkey has recorded 3,381 fatalities, while Syria reported 1,602 casualties.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

A section of the Indian media earlier reported that Pakistan denied airspace to Indian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid and rescue teams to earthquake-hit Turkey.

A section of the Indian media earlier reported that Pakistan denied airspace to Indian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid and rescue teams to earthquake-hit Turkey. There was no confirmation either from the Indian or the Pakistani side of this development. CNN-News18 reported that the Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster had to take a detour because Pakistan denied permission to use its airspace. However, it emerged that Indian planes didn't fly over Pakistan to reach Ankara. It is believed that the Indian establishment never asked for permission from the Pakistan aviation authorities with regard to sending their military aircraft. Even during the evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Indian military planes flew from Kabul to Dushanbe and used Iranian airspace to come back to India. Reacting to the development, Turkish ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, told WION's Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal that he has "no information" on Indian military aircraft not being allowed to fly over Pakistani airspace. Earlier in the day, India sent two Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft, one of which departed on Monday late at night, while the second batch flew off on early Tuesday. The first batch of earthquake relief material carried search &and rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), specially trained dog squads, medical supplies, drilling machines and other necessary equipment to help Turkey in the evacuation of civilians. “First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 @NDRFHQ. Search & Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, relief material, medicines and other necessary utilities & equipment reaches Adana, Türkiye. Second plane getting ready for departure,” Jaishankar had on Tuesday morning. First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 @NDRFHQ Search & Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads,drilling machines, relief material, medicines and other necessary utilities & equipment reaches Adana,Türkiye. Second plane getting ready for departure. @MevlutCavusoglu pic.twitter.com/sSjuRJJrIO — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 7, 2023 × Earlier, Turkey's Ambassador to India Firat Sunel thanked New Delhi for sending relief materials and termed India as “dost” (which in English means friend) ““Dost” is a common word in Turkish and Hindi... We have a Turkish proverb: "Dost kara günde belli olur" (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much India." He also shared an exchange between Indian and Turkish authorities following the deadly earthquakes that rattled the country and its neighbour Syria. On Monday, India’s junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan paid a visit to Turkey’s embassy in New Delhi to express condolences. He also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sympathy and humanitarian support. Meanwhile, the total death toll rose to 4,983 as the search and rescue operation to find the survivors was underway. According to local media reports, Turkey has recorded 3,381 fatalities, while Syria reported 1,602 casualties. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Did Pakistan deny airspace to Indian military plane carrying humanitarian aid to Turkey? Here's what we know

In the wake of India's decision to strip special status of Jammu and Kashmir, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-support-direct-dialogue-between-india-pak-on-kashmir-us-state-department-241415">Pakistan must refrain from any retaliatory</a> aggression, including support for infiltrations across the Line of Control (LoC) and take demonstrable action against terror infrastructure on its soil, said a joint statement by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

The statement issued by Representative Eliot L. Engel, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-partially-closes-its-airspace-with-india-on-eastern-front-241404">Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs</a> Committee and Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that transparency and political participation are the cornerstones of representative democracies and hoped that the Indian government would abide by these principles in Jammu and Kashmir.

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-current-state-of-pakistan-occupied-kashmir-241411/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"As the world's largest democracy, India has an opportunity to demonstrate for all its citizens the importance of protecting and promoting equal rights, including freedom of assembly, access to information, and equal protection under the law," the statement said. &nbsp;

"Transparency and political participation are the cornerstones of representative democracies and we hope the India government will abide by these principles in Jammu and Kasmir," it added.

"And at the same time, Pakistan must refrain from any retaliatory aggression--including support for infiltrations across the Line of Control--and take demonstrable action against the&nbsp;infrastructure on Pakistan's soil," the statement said.

The joint statement comes amid spiralling tensions between India and Pakistan which came after the Indian Parliament passed a resolution to revoke Article 370 that granted to Jammu and Kashmir and a bill bifurcating the border state into two Union Territories earlier this week.

Rattled by New Delhi's decisions, Islamabad "rejected" the move and said it will exercise "all possible options" to counter the steps.&nbsp;

In the wake of India's decision to strip special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan must refrain from any retaliatory aggression, including support for infiltrations across the Line of Control (LoC) and take demonstrable action against terror infrastructure on its soil, said a joint statement by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

In the wake of India's decision to strip special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan must refrain from any retaliatory aggression, including support for infiltrations across the Line of Control (LoC) and take demonstrable action against terror infrastructure on its soil, said a joint statement by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. The statement issued by Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that transparency and political participation are the cornerstones of representative democracies and hoped that the Indian government would abide by these principles in Jammu and Kashmir. Watch Video: "As the world's largest democracy, India has an opportunity to demonstrate for all its citizens the importance of protecting and promoting equal rights, including freedom of assembly, access to information, and equal protection under the law," the statement said. "Transparency and political participation are the cornerstones of representative democracies and we hope the India government will abide by these principles in Jammu and Kasmir," it added. "And at the same time, Pakistan must refrain from any retaliatory aggression--including support for infiltrations across the Line of Control--and take demonstrable action against the infrastructure on Pakistan's soil," the statement said. The joint statement comes amid spiralling tensions between India and Pakistan which came after the Indian Parliament passed a resolution to revoke Article 370 that granted to Jammu and Kashmir and a bill bifurcating the border state into two Union Territories earlier this week. Rattled by New Delhi's decisions, Islamabad "rejected" the move and said it will exercise "all possible options" to counter the steps.

Pak must stop supporting infiltration across LoC: US Senate foreign affairs committee

Pakistan on Friday said that it <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ball-in-pakistans-court-india-on-pak-airspace-closure-233060">will not open its airspace</a> until India removes its fighter jets from forward Indian Air Force (IAF) bases, &nbsp;the country's Aviation Secretary Shah­rukh Nusrat told a parliamentary committee.

Pakistan had closed its airspace in February after it launched an attack on Indian military installation in response to Indian strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Balakot on February 26.

The closure of Pakistan airspace has caused a loss of $100 million to Pakistan.

Even as the closure of Pakistan airspace impacts millions of passengers across the world, India has reacted saying its a unilateral decision by Islamabad to close their airspace and up to them to remove any restrictions.

The closure is impacting many Afghans who travelled to India on a regular basis but now have to pay more to travel. The time taken has also significantly increased from just one and a half hour to more than 3 hours now.

Its also impacting Indian students in central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan due to non-availability and high cost of flights to India. Many International airlines have cancelled flights to India due to the closure of Pakistan airspace.

Pakistan on Friday said that it will not open its airspace until India removes its fighter jets from forward Indian Air Force (IAF) bases, the country's Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat told a parliamentary committee.

Pakistan on Friday said that it will not open its airspace until India removes its fighter jets from forward Indian Air Force (IAF) bases, the country's Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat told a parliamentary committee. Pakistan had closed its airspace in February after it launched an attack on Indian military installation in response to Indian strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Balakot on February 26. The closure of Pakistan airspace has caused a loss of $100 million to Pakistan. Even as the closure of Pakistan airspace impacts millions of passengers across the world, India has reacted saying its a unilateral decision by Islamabad to close their airspace and up to them to remove any restrictions. The closure is impacting many Afghans who travelled to India on a regular basis but now have to pay more to travel. The time taken has also significantly increased from just one and a half hour to more than 3 hours now. Its also impacting Indian students in central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan due to non-availability and high cost of flights to India. Many International airlines have cancelled flights to India due to the closure of Pakistan airspace.

Pakistan to not open its airspace until India removes fighter jets from forward bases

PM Modi will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

The Indian prime minister will be landing in the central<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-leaves-for-sco-summit-in-kyrgyzstan-avoids-pakistan-airspace-226690"> Asian country post-2:30pm (IST) </a>and will have bilateral talks with leaders of China, Russia and Afghanistan today and an informal dinner with President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of Kyrgyzstan.

On the first day, PM Modi will be meeting&nbsp;Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be his first meeting with Chinese President Xi this year and first meet since the listing of Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the United Nations. Later this year the Chinese President will be visiting India for the second informal summit.&nbsp;

With Iran, focus will be on import of Iranian oil as the US has done away with&nbsp;waivers after sanctions came into effect.

This is the first multilateral summit PM Modi will be attending after the elections.

In a pre-departure statement ahead of SCO summit, PM said, "We attach special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interaction in the region."

PM Modi will not be using the Pakistani airspace for his Kyrgyzstan visit and will be using airspace of Oman, Iran and central Asian countries to reach the country.

Air India has confirmed that the route does not cross Pakistani airspace in any way. India had explored two options for the route to be taken by PM's aircraft to Bishkek.&nbsp;

The SCO represents 42 per cent of the world’s population, 22 per cent of its land area and 20 per cent of its GDP and New Delhi sees it as a platform to engage with central Asian countries.

PM Modi will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

PM Modi will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. The Indian prime minister will be landing in the central Asian country post-2:30pm (IST) and will have bilateral talks with leaders of China, Russia and Afghanistan today and an informal dinner with President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of Kyrgyzstan. On the first day, PM Modi will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be his first meeting with Chinese President Xi this year and first meet since the listing of Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the United Nations. Later this year the Chinese President will be visiting India for the second informal summit. With Iran, focus will be on import of Iranian oil as the US has done away with waivers after sanctions came into effect. This is the first multilateral summit PM Modi will be attending after the elections. In a pre-departure statement ahead of SCO summit, PM said, "We attach special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interaction in the region." PM Modi will not be using the Pakistani airspace for his Kyrgyzstan visit and will be using airspace of Oman, Iran and central Asian countries to reach the country. Air India has confirmed that the route does not cross Pakistani airspace in any way. India had explored two options for the route to be taken by PM's aircraft to Bishkek. The SCO represents 42 per cent of the world’s population, 22 per cent of its land area and 20 per cent of its GDP and New Delhi sees it as a platform to engage with central Asian countries.

SCO summit: PM Modi set to meet President Xi, Putin today

PM Modi left for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday morning.

The Indian prime minister's aircraft will be <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-not-to-fly-over-pak-airspace-for-sco-summit-226462">avoiding the Pakistan airspace</a>. The plane will fly over Oman, Iran and several central Asian countries to reach the Kyrgyz capital. &nbsp;

The was announcement made on Wednesday even<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-requests-pakistan-to-let-pm-modis-flight-pass-through-its-airspace-225685"> as Pakistan said it will "specially"</a> open its airspace for the flight of Prime Minister Modi to Bishkek to attend the SCO summit.

If PM Modi had flown over Pakistan it would have taken three-and-a-half hours to reach Bishkek and now it will take about seven hours for the journey, officials said.

The decision also came over a week after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for restarting bilateral talks.

India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together.&nbsp;

Pakistan PM Imran Khan will also be attending the summit, however, PM Modi and Pak PM Imran Khan are not slated to meet at Bishkek.

Last month, Pakistan had given special permission to the then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to fly through Pakistani airspace while travelling to Bishkek to attend a meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers.

Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot.&nbsp;

Since then, it has only opened two routes, both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11.

On its part, the IAF announced on May 31 that all temporary restrictions imposed on Indian airspace post the Balakot airstrike have been removed.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

PM Modi left for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday morning. The Indian prime minister's aircraft will be avoiding the Pakistan airspace.

PM Modi left for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday morning. The Indian prime minister's aircraft will be avoiding the Pakistan airspace. The plane will fly over Oman, Iran and several central Asian countries to reach the Kyrgyz capital. The was announcement made on Wednesday even as Pakistan said it will "specially" open its airspace for the flight of Prime Minister Modi to Bishkek to attend the SCO summit. If PM Modi had flown over Pakistan it would have taken three-and-a-half hours to reach Bishkek and now it will take about seven hours for the journey, officials said. The decision also came over a week after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for restarting bilateral talks. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Pakistan PM Imran Khan will also be attending the summit, however, PM Modi and Pak PM Imran Khan are not slated to meet at Bishkek. Last month, Pakistan had given special permission to the then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to fly through Pakistani airspace while travelling to Bishkek to attend a meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers. Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot. Since then, it has only opened two routes, both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11. On its part, the IAF announced on May 31 that all temporary restrictions imposed on Indian airspace post the Balakot airstrike have been removed.

PM Modi leaves for SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan; avoids Pakistan airspace

The Afghan government raised the issue of Pakistan air space ban on Monday as its airline continued to face problems in reaching India.

The Afghan government raised the matter through its officials and will raise it again. On being asked whether Kabul is hopeful on Pakistan opening its airspace, sources told WION that they are "negotiating".

The Pakistan government closed its air space on February 27 after launching strikes on Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. The airstrikes were in response to India's counter-terror strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan on February 26.

So far, the Pakistan government has partially opened its airspace in the west side of the country, but along the Indian border, it continues to be closed. No flights going from India to westwards or coming from Afghanistan or beyond to India are allowed to use Pakistan air space.

The partial Pakistan airspace ban has particularly impacted Afghan airlines, who have to take a longer route over Iran, but also spend more on fuel which increases the cost of the ticket.&nbsp;

Delhi to Kabul flight that used to take less than two hours before, now takes more than five hours.

Cost of a one-way ticket from Afghanistan to India for Afghan airlines such as Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air Airline stands at $200 to $300 respectively. This was previously at $145 for Ariana Afghan Airlines and $160 for Kam Air Airline.&nbsp;

According to local Pakistan media reports, its national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suffered a loss of over Rs 1 billion due to "closure of certain routes for the airline".

The Afghan government raised the issue of Pakistan air space ban on Monday as its airline continued to face problems in reaching India. The Afghan government raised the matter through its officials and will raise it again.

The Afghan government raised the issue of Pakistan air space ban on Monday as its airline continued to face problems in reaching India. The Afghan government raised the matter through its officials and will raise it again. On being asked whether Kabul is hopeful on Pakistan opening its airspace, sources told WION that they are "negotiating". The Pakistan government closed its air space on February 27 after launching strikes on Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. The airstrikes were in response to India's counter-terror strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan on February 26. So far, the Pakistan government has partially opened its airspace in the west side of the country, but along the Indian border, it continues to be closed. No flights going from India to westwards or coming from Afghanistan or beyond to India are allowed to use Pakistan air space. The partial Pakistan airspace ban has particularly impacted Afghan airlines, who have to take a longer route over Iran, but also spend more on fuel which increases the cost of the ticket. Delhi to Kabul flight that used to take less than two hours before, now takes more than five hours. Cost of a one-way ticket from Afghanistan to India for Afghan airlines such as Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air Airline stands at $200 to $300 respectively. This was previously at $145 for Ariana Afghan Airlines and $160 for Kam Air Airline. According to local Pakistan media reports, its national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suffered a loss of over Rs 1 billion due to "closure of certain routes for the airline".

Afghan government raises partial airspace ban issue with Pakistan